Pauline

[Pauline]

It was good to see Ashley today but even better to see these little chaps. The first bit of decent weather Liphook has seen this year, even tho' it was still a bit chilly with a fair old breeze. Tried to find you again Ashley but I guess you must have left:

[Neil Freeman]

Good to see your first Dukes Pauline. Great photos as usual

Cheers,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Thank you Neil - kind of you to say so. Yes, they were a very welcome sight given the on-going weather conditions here. Hope you're not planning a trip any time soon! Quite astonishing that I (along with others I suspect) have not even seen an Orange-tip yet! I don't usually have to go looking for them - they usually come to me and lay eggs in the garden. One of the pupa from last season is still green and none are showing any signs of change or colouring up. Out of curiosity I thought I would check out a couple of spots close by today but no luck there either despite loads of suitable plants

I'm only half joking when I say there may well be more LT around than OT's!!

[Pauline]

A couple more (poor) bird shots if anyone can be bothered to try to identify them? I'm thinking the first might be some sort of Warbler or Chiff Chaff? Could the other be a female Blackcap? Rubbish shot and couldn't get a proper view because of the angle/branches:

[Allan.W.]

Hi Pauline ,your Warbler .................pretty sure its a Chiffchaff ...............Your second ..............Very nice ,looks like a Woodlark ....................Happy to be corrected !
Allan.W.

[Allan.W.]

Hello Again Pauline, Just seen your Woodpecker shot ....................A Greater Spotted ............. Lessers are very small ,only House Sparrow size ,and not as bold (usually !) as Greater Spots ,and they generally take some finding ! A friend who lives locally ,owns a small nature reserve which has at least one pair of Lessers present .............but although i,ve heard them call occasionally i,ve never managed to see them there !
I did hear an individual "drumming " last year while i was on a Duke hunt in Denge Wood (Kent) .............but again ,never managed a sighting.
Allan.W.

[Pauline]

Thank you for all of this Allan. I have never seen a Woodlark before. It seemed to have quite a distinctive flight which was what caught my eye initially. Do wish you lived closer as I could really do with a mentor to teach me about birds and their calls, moths, fungi etc.

[Wurzel]

Crickey Dukes already Things round this way feel like we're still back at the start of March Hopefully things will improve soon They need too as I've almost gotten into 2023 with my PD

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Been quite a spring thus far, Pauline (and not one I'd wish to be repeated any time soon), so your Duke sighting has made me feel a little more positive.

Hopefully we'll all see some warmer conditions shortly.

[Pauline]

Thank you David. I went back a couple of days later and found another couple of Dukes (males) in different parts of the site. I was particularly pleased to be able to point one out to Ashley (as he'd been looking for 3 days), Mark and others but the wind was so strong I didn't even take any shots myself. It was good to see my first OT of the season even if I was driving at the time and Brimstones egg-laying were also a bonus. Still no Green Hairstreak which I had hoped for but a good chat with Dave rounded the outing off nicely. Strangely, in bright sunshine a bat was flying around the field at the entrance - disturbed by something I presume.

I heard - and eventually saw - my first Cuckoo of the year this morning Wurzel and now that the heavy fog has lifted we have a little bit of sunshine here. Not sure how long it is going to last tho' so very tempted to get out there.

[Pauline]

Just looking thru old photos to see how early I have seen a green Hairstreak in previous years and came across this one from 2021. Is it my imagination or is there an initial sprayed/drawn onto the butterfly in pale blue and if so, why would this be?

Or is it my imagination?

[Wurzel]

Depending on which way you look at it there does appear to be either a 'Z' or an 'N' - mind you you I'm renowned for seeing things that aren't there so perhaps I'm not the best person to ask If it was a deliberate mark then it could have been part of a capture/release study?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

It's definitely there Wurzel - wish I'd taken more notice at the time.

Various appointments and/or the weather have kept me in for a while but today I managed to get out briefly. I was delighted to see not just one but 3 Orange Tips - all male. I don't think I have ever been so pleased to see such a common butterfly but perhaps this is a lesson not to take anything for granted!

Still puzzled at how sharp this looks in my files but quality and definition definitely lost once posted.

[Wurzel]

In this dreary and fitful Spring it still looks good to me Pauline I've noticed something similar; the images look a little blurred when in the 'post' but then if you click on them to enlarge they're much sharper. Unfortunately it's a bit late in the day to be thinking about why this is but I seem to recall something about image optimization or the way the site hosts the images My brain hurts now the wonders of tech

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

Cheers Wurzel - I still don't think it is truly representative when 'enlarged. If, for example, one compares with the Sussex site, all the images there seem to be pin sharp as they used to be here. With the greatest respect for all the Sussex members I find it hard to believe they are all fantastic photographers . I would be particularly interested to hear the opinion of Sussex members who post on both sites. Just trying to understand

[Pauline]

4 Dukes seen now over 3 visits to Noar Hill - all in very different locations. Very difficult to find so far this season. This one was seen yesterday pm in the pit by the gate. I didn't see it on the way in but spotted it on the way out halfway up the steep bank at the back, hence taken from quite a distance and massively cropped. I shall be interested to see how things develop here as the weather warms up:

[Goldie M]

Well done with the Dukes Pauline, it must be more sheltered where they are than here I've not heard of any being seen here yet , I could be wrong though
don't know if I'll get there though , the woods at present here are full of huge Puddles and the roads are full of pot holes repairs are going on every where
with roads being closed, hope fully the road at Reculver will open this week-end. Goldie

[Pauline]

Cheers Goldie - with the warmer weather there has been a mini explosion of Dukes at Noar Hill. A couple of shots from this morning:

[Pauline]

What a change in the weather today - now back to cool, grey and foggy weather so may well use the opportunity to check on these eggs which I watched being laid yesterday. This was the best shot I could get without a) disturbing the butterfly and b) plunging my face into the nettle patch:

[Wurzel]

"What a change in the weather today" tell me about it - like a fool I believed the BBC Weather app/website and so spent a very cold morning walking round Sidbury and seeing not a single butterfly It's strange but they only ever seem to mess up the forecast for good weather

Have a goodun

Wurzel